However many adults seem to think they already know the pitfalls
facing young web users, with 88 per cent of parents surveyed saying they
were ‘confident’ they understood internet safety issues.

Dr Shirley Atkinson, who analysed the research data, said many
parents appear to hold a false belief that they understand the web,
while leaving their children unsupervised or failing to install rigorous
safeguards.

She added: ‘The most interesting aspect is that parents of
under-fives are confident in their ability to protect their children.

‘Ninety-five per cent of parents told us they had a good understanding of the internet.’

The study, conducted by Plymouth Council, surveyed the internet habits of 423 under-fives, with an average age of four.

It found 305 used the internet every day, often unsupervised.

The most used sites were CBeebies and Peppa Pig online games, according to the research.